Ask Chuck: Stove-up or loosen up for the new year?

By Charles Colson
Dec. 26, 2013 at 6:26 a.m.

Charles, my husband is in his late 50s and tells me often he hurts all over from his job. He says he feels stove-up at times, and it's difficult to move around a lot. Is he too young for this to happen?

Most definitely not. This can happen even at a much younger age. I've always said it really doesn't matter if your work is extremely physical or mentally challenging - at the end of the day, you are still very tired.

I'm sure you are wondering if massage therapy could help your husband with feeling stove-up at times. Yes, it certainly can ease the pains and trauma with everyday jobs. It works well because it has a lot to do with the circulatory system. The reason he feels so tired more often is that the blood isn't flowing properly so that all organs work together.

The massage therapist can remedy this by using proper stretching techniques and manipulations that allow the muscles to contract and expand in a normal fashion. If you've ever had a stiff neck and had a therapist loosen up the tight tendons, you know exactly what I mean about how pliable our muscles should be kept.

As a man myself, we love to think everything is fine if we could just lay around and relax at our leisure. Well, as nurses and doctors will instruct you, each day you do nothing but lie in bed is a day you lose 10 percent of your strength. So multiply that times 10 days, and what do you wind up with? You got it, no strength to even get out of bed. This is when stove-up comes into serious play. So I bet you'll agree with me that this is definitely not a good way to start the new year. Get professional help, it is very well worth the money.

My wife and I run in marathons quite often. Oftentimes, it really takes a toll on our bodies. Would massage therapy treatments help us in any way?

Excellent question. I personally have worked on several marathon runners, and guess what? They always seem to wind up as some of the top winners.

I especially remember when a "Doubting Thomas" type of guy once told me he didn't think there could be any beneficial affects that great with massage therapy and marathon runners. It was interesting when I finally convinced him so strongly that I came close to waging a bet on its effectiveness.

Can you imagine his reaction when I worked on him one evening and the marathon was the next morning and he shyly admitted to me he had won the race?

No matter if you have a marathon to run or need a good reason to get a massage, keep in mind that this therapy successfully nourishes the flexibility of the muscles and strengthens the bones in a way that even if you accidentally hurt yourself, the healing process is much quicker.

This is why massage therapy treatments are so vital to many other sport related situations. Always keep in mind that our knees, legs and feet carry all our weight. So let's make a perfect New Year's resolution and see the importance of becoming healthier for 2014. I'll check back with you next Christmas, sound fair?

So Chuck, since we have taken your helpful tips throughout the year and have enjoyed applying them to our daily lives, do you have any wise resolutions that we could keep for 2014?

Thank you all for being so attentive to my columns. I'll be honest, I think it is difficult to find just that right resolution that could be easy to keep all year. My suggestions would be the same for males and females.

First of all, make yourself a promise to keep your hairstyle as your crowning glory which, in reality, it will remain that way. Therefore, to be successful, we have to look successful. Take the challenge and do something to please yourself and go for that new style and hair color. Make everyone envious.

You're worth it.

Lastly, let's make it a goal to start feeing better. Get that massage you said you'd never get and see how vivacious you can become. Toning your body will likewise tone your mind, and watch the new you begin to appear brighter.

So if we begin looking and feeling better, don't you think there is a phenomenal chance that we could last longer? What a great gift to ourselves.

Happy New Year.

Charles Colson is a local hair stylist and registered massage therapist. You may email hair or massage questions to crcolsonrmt1@sbcglobal.net or call 361-575-5331.